ABSTRACT
John Milton (1608-74) was taught by Gill (q.v.) at St Paul's School, and from there proceeded to Christ's College, Cambridge, Humphrey Moseley in the prefatory epistle to the reader of the Poems (1645) writes that Milton's efforts have produced 'as true a Birth, as the Muses have brought forth since our famous Spencer wrote; whose poems in these English ones are as rarely imitated, as sweetly excell'd.' Rarely can publishers' promises be so sweetly fulfilled. In Milton's prose, the allusions to Spenser are disappointingly scrappy, and I have included here passages where a reference to Spenser might be disputed.
